Third Sun

While the current economic climate has encouraged companies and communities alike to rethink the way they impact the planet, alternative energy options are not new. Geoff and Michelle Greenfield, Athens-based entrepreneurs, are longtime advocates for energy sustainability. The Greenfield's company, Third Sun, was at the forefront of the renewable energy movement in Ohio, installing systems that harvest the sun's power for over ten years. In the past few years Third Sun has seen tremendous growth; an achievement assisted through advisory services from southeast Ohio's Third-Frontier-funded entrepreneurial economic development program, TechGROWTH Ohio.

Geoff Greenfield worked independently and as a subcontractor for three years, building Third Sun's reputation for high-quality installation and product design. As Geoff's clientele grew, the Greenfields saw the value of incorporation. Michelle Greenfield originally coined the firm's name: a play on its business focus and on the couple's two-son family. Third Sun Solar & Wind Power became a limited liability corporation in June of 2000. Third Sun services became well known among SE early-adapter Ohioans seeking to supplement their home or business's energy intake with solar and wind power.

Encouraged by their success, the Greefields planned to increase their clientele and seek a different market: larger-scale industrial interest as well as a larger single-home customer base that was increasing as the US became more energy-consumption-conscious.

In 2006, realizing they needed additional business expertise for planned expansion, the Greenfields sought out TechGROWTH Ohio. Experienced business advisor Kevin Aspegren consulted the Greenfields in his role as a program Director at the Voinovich School, which is the lead partner in TechGROWTH's consortium of economic development institutions.

Third Sun has benefited from TechGROWTH Ohio's support in a variety of areas, including financial modeling and strategic planning. Michelle cites the HR consultant and accounting assistance as the most valuable of TechGROWTH's assistance.

In three years, we have gone from six employees to twenty, Michelle says. As the company has grown, so have our legal requirements. TechGROWTH Ohio made it possible to hire an HR consultant to review all of our policies and procedures, something that we would not have been able to afford on our own.

Similarly, TechGROWTH funding enabled the receipt of a Columbus-based consultancy on the accounting software QuickBooks.

Michelle also cites the importance to TechGROWTH staff's emotional support. When we encounter a fork in the road, or a rough patch, we've been able to take great advice from the folks at TechGROWTH, who have been where we are before and are eager to help navigate our way.

Today, Third Sun's reach extends across Ohio, into parts of Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Michigan and West Virginia. They are looking to open up branch offices in Columbus and Cincinnati and to extend their geographic focus in these two urban areas. Soon, the company will see the launch of a TechGROWTH-sponsored new website emphasizing the firm's growth and expertise.

For the Greenfields, Third Sun has been a long labor of love, embodying their passion for protecting the environment and providing for the earth's future. In the decade since their business became a reality, the couple has shepherded Third Sun from mom-and-pop shop' to a thriving family-owned mid-sized business. Without TechGROWTH's aid such a transformation would have been more difficult to realize, a fact that the Greenfields recognize on a number of levels.

When our business was much smaller, Geoff and I worked around the clock, Michelle explains. As the company has grown, we've both been able to work more regular hours, giving us both the ability, after all of these years, to lead a more normal life!